1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flail shredder, and more particularly to such a shredder for shredding weeds and debris during earth traversing movement along a row crop without injury to the crop.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need to eliminate weeds which utilize water and nutrients which would otherwise be available for the growth of a crop is well known. Such weeds also interfere with harvesting the crop and provide breeding places for harmful insects. Mechanical elimination of weeds has, of course, been long practiced. However, mechanical weeding is particularly difficult when the crop is planted in a row since mechanical devices for this purpose must move along the row so that difficulties arise in removing weeds between individual plants along the row without injury to the plants. Mechanical weeding by devices which engage the soil surface creates additional difficulties by exposing buried weed seeds for growth. Because of these difficulties, it has become common practice to destroy weeds along a row of a crop either by burning or by application of chemicals. Burning can, of course, completely destroy the weeds. However, great care must be exercised, even with crops such as grapevines and fruit trees having relatively large trunks, to avoid killing the crop. With burning, even if the crop is not significantly injured there is always a danger of starting fires in debris along the row or in the weeds which may spread to other crops or buildings. Killing of the weeds with chemicals does not present these dangers present with burning. However, weed killing chemicals can create environmental dangers to other crops, animals, and humans. In any event, chemicals are not completely effective in that they leave standing remnants of the weeds. As a result, the weeds are still present in a form which will interfere with harvesting, harbor insects and plant diseases, or contribute to the spread of fire.